My Grandson just won the Family NAIA French Open .

1. We have a spin wheel for order of the draft. #1 gets first pick. The one who draws last makes their pick and also the next pick, with the draw order in reverse back to #1.

2. Any event is okay. If you pick Men’s Singles, coaches continue the draft of the total field until you have selected SIX players for your team.

3. Once the tournament begins, your team gets one point for each match your six players win. The six with the most wins is the Champion.

LENNOX WON THE FRENCH

2) “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” This command is against making an idol, a visible representation of God. There is no image we can create that can accurately portray God. To make an idol to represent God is to worship a false god.

The recent video PICK UP YOUR BED AND WALK revisits Fike High School’s three state football championships.  Russell Rawlings’ book, CYCLONE COUNTY, also explores this scene (Wilson, NC –late 1960’s ). 

I wrote PLAY IS WHERE LIFE IS about twenty years ago.   The link below includes a chapter on Wilson and Eastern North Carolina, and Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College ),  with many comments on this same period of time and some later. 

On the link below I have listed several “tales”.   I think this is the best chapter I have written, mainly because of all the area’s characters.

https://littlegreenbookoftennis.com/category/h-wilson

SCROLL DOWN

1. TEAM SPIRIT
2. A SENSE OF HUMOR
3. DEPARTMENT CHAIRMAN
4. DOC AND PEAHEAD
5. HAND WRITING
6. HOMER CLOCK
7. THE SCAR OF RUSSIA
8. GEOMETRY
9. RUNS IN THE FAMILY
10. THE GYM
11. TOP HOT DOG
12. THE OLD, OLD GYM
13. FROM BOHUNK TO HAWN
14. ODE TO THE GYM
15. RASSLIN WITH BUDDY
16. POSSUM
17. ROCK RIDGE UPDATE
18. CPR
19. DINNER TABLE CONVERSATIONS
20. TELEPHONES
21. PIER WALKING
22. COUNTRY STRIKES AGAIN
23. WEDDING PLANS
24. THE MAYOR
25. DR. HAMLIN
26. YOU CAN CALL ME AL
27. OLYMPICS BOUND
28. BLOCK/CHARGE CALL
29. CHARIOTS OF FIRE
30. 1984
31. COMMON SENSE
32. AIN’T IT FUNNY
33. HEARING AIDS
34. RESUMES
35. Wilson-65 years ago 

WILSON, NC-65 YEARS AGO.

36. FIKE HIGH SCHOOL

FIKE HIGH SCHOOL

37. Peanuts and tennis

Peanuts and Tennis

Main blog and all books:

https://littlegreenbookoftennis.com

Tom Parham:  “ In the 70’s a lawyer opined that the then ITCA could limit international college tennis players .  The membership voted to do so.  The “big boys” threatened to withdraw their membership.  Others advised a quota would be found illegal.  There was no litigation.

Given the current conservative bent , would now be a time to “screw up some courage”?

Note : Coaches and Athletics Directors aren’t the sole input (IDS 1357 ).

“GORILLA BUREACRATS?” : NATIONALcaa, UNITED STATES ta, USpta, NATIONALfhsaa. Global sports.

Now is the hour.

This announcement from THE NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION :

Boys’ volleyball, like girls’ flag football, is rapidly increasing in popularity in some parts of the state. The board voted 10-7 to add the sport in the spring of 2027. Tyson said Queen’s University in Charlotte has been reserved by the N.C. Volleyball Coaches Association to host a championship with proceeds benefitting the NCHSAA.

Ten years ago, there were four boys teams playing, according to Sarah Conklin, the Weddington High club coach and a longtime organizer of the sport in North Carolina. Today, there are more than 120 schools playing, or about a quarter of the NCHSAA’s membership.

Last year, 36 states sanctioned boys’ volleyball, according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association, and the NFHS reports that participation in the sport has grown — from 43,000 athletes nationally in 2005-06 to nearly 96,000 in the 2024-25 school year.

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Great Decision

“YOU CAN TELL A LOT ABOUT SOMEBODY BY PLAYING GOLF WITH THEM”

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 Tell me I’m wrong.

The “ Cheater -in- Chief “ promised the solution to the problems of college athletics

next week. 

Rules by one who likes to “ roll it in the rough “( see films ).  REDACT MY SCORECARD!

Panel of “advisors” ?  (97% male, white, old, Republican )

One woman, no blacks, one Democrat, no players. 

****

Like giving Jesse James the train schedule.

The link below is about the women on our USA Olympics gold medal ICE HOCKEY team:

https://www.ncaa.com/news/icehockey-women/article/2026-02-19/where-usa-womens-hockey-team-2026-olympics-played-college

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Deja Vu ?

TITLE IX

2019 on Athletics in the USA  

World Cup soccer competition began in 1930. The United States men have never won it. Soccer is more widely played world-wide than any sport.
Title IX was implemented in 1970. The World Cup for women began in 1991. Our women have won twice. No other country has a “Title IX”.   Sports and sociology go hand in hand. *

• All of the Women’s World Cup Soccer winners were college players.

• Twenty three of the 2026 USA Women’s Hockey gold metal Olympics winners were college players.

New York Times- Feb. 20, 2026

The Best Sports for Longevity

The case for tennis

Walking may be America’s go-to activity, but several studies have highlighted the benefits of tennis for longevity.

One study from Denmark found that tennis players lived almost 10 years longer than their sedentary peers — and longer than soccer players, swimmers and the other recreational athletes included in the analysis. Other research from Britain and the United States followed people for about a decade and found that playing racket sports was linked to a lower risk of death during the follow-up period than any other sport or form of exercise studied.

“Kegel exercises can strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. These muscles support the bladder …

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Just read about KEGELS. It is suggested to “…not use them too soon” (as you may desparately need help later).

Reminded me of basketball coaching. Save those timeouts–you may REALLY wish you had!

“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?”

These NC colleges are among the most beautiful in the US. See how they ranked.

U.S. News staffers considered architecture, landscaping, and setting in their decisions.

February 19, 2026 9:08 AM

For U.S. News and World Report, the answer is yes. It released its list of the 30 most beautiful campuses across the country, and North Carolina represents, with not one but two schools. Those two campuses are less than 40 miles away from one another — and each have around 6,000 to 6,500 undergrads.

Duke University is at No. 9 on the U.S. News list. 

Elon University in Alamance County is at No. 26 on the U.S. News list. They cite the campus waterworks as chief among their considerations. Here’s what they said:

“Fountains, manmade lakes and its own forest contribute to the beauty of Elon University‘s 700-acre main campus, which is a designated botanical garden and accredited arboretum,” Claybourn and Jones write.

“A three-level fountain with a waterfall accents the Numen Lumen-themed, paved-brick Wallace L. Chandler Plaza, which was designed to reflect the university’s mission to inspire intellectual and spiritual illumination.

“Trees line walks and trails, providing bursts of color each spring and autumn, and numerous oak trees — Elon means ‘oak’ in Hebrew — lend beauty and shade. They’re among nearly 200 species of trees on campus. Curated plant collections beautify modern academic buildings and Georgian-inspired, red-brick residence halls. Learning is often taken beyond the walls to welcoming outdoor classrooms and study spaces. New students are given an acorn and graduates receive an oak sapling to symbolize their growth.”